Nairiu's Tale: Death of Ganondorf
by MiggglyPuff
Summary: Ganondorf has died, and now, Nairiu  his daughter  must rle the tribe, and save it from prosicution. But will love cloud her path? Is Link a Pedophile?  my friend says yes, he is  READ TO FIND OUT!
1. Mission Impossible: It was SAria's Fault

The day the funeral was held was a beautiful day. The sun was shining; the birds were singing, all in all, a day he would have hated. "But he's not here anymore…." Thought Nairiu. She looked around at the few people at the funeral service. No one was crying. Then again, other than herself, no one here knew him in person; he was just a distant leader who guided them. They had no reason to cry over their fallen king.

She had been close to her father; he was her mentor, the one who told her what to do, taught her how to respond in difficult situations. She couldn't cry; no, she _wouldn't _cry. One of the first things he taught her was how to hold her emotions inside, to not show what she was feeling; to cry now would only disappoint him. The priest said the final words, and the coffin was lowered into the earth, the stained black wood gleaming as it sunk into the earth. The five or so people who had survived the massacre went inside the main meeting hall. Now that their leader was buried, it was time to figure out what to do.

Only Nairiu stood by the grave still, looking down at the final resting place of the man she once admired, the man who raised her in her mother's absence. She looked up at the sky and said in a voice so cold that if her words appeared in the air, they would have been covered in ice. "I swear to Din that I shall avenge my father's death, that I shall take away the person Link loves most, and make him live with the pain and suffering that he has caused me and my people." With one last look at the grave, Nairiu turned and went inside; she had a meeting to run.

The five Gerudos where standing around in a bunch, talking in whispers about what had happened, and what they were going to do. As Nairiu entered the room, the whispers fell silent. She walked up to the head of the room and began to speak.

"The death of Ganondorf is a sad thing, along with the execution of almost every Gerudo in Hyrule. Nevertheless, we will rise again and prosper, building our lives out of the desert once more. I am going on a little trip, and then I shall return with good news. While I am gone, you are to not leave this hideaway, except to get food, water, and to use the bathrooms." She paused and scanned their faces, making sure they were listening to her. "Anyone venturing outside just to walk around will be severely punished. There will be no robbing, stealing, or killing while I am gone, lest the Hylian Guards find where we are at." She looked around once more. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, I got one." One of the Gerudo spoke up from her place at the back of the room. "Who put you in charge? I don't remember ever voting on it." she said snottily.

"I put my self in charge; it is after all, my duty to this tribe. And I will remain leader until a boy is born, and he reaches the age of seventeen. After that, he will take my place."

"But….." said one of the older Gerudo women. She was not a warrior anymore; she was too old to be of use, so her job was to watch after the children in the village, until they were old enough to look after themselves. "Ganondorf died too soon! The goddesses declared that our leader was to live for 117 years. And when he reaches 100, a boy would be born and cared for until he was old enough to rule as king! The cycle has been broken!"

"Yes, I know… That troubles me, knowing that my father died too early. But in seven years, a boy will be born, and we will be a great race once again." Nairiu tucked a piece of her bright red hair, which she had inherited from her mother, behind her ear. "I will be taking a bag of Peahat seeds with me; I will use them to communicate with you. My trip should take about two weeks, and I will be leaving right after I change."

Nairiu left the main room and changed in the only bathroom. She shed her long black dress, and replaced it with the traditional Gerudo clothes. She put her hair up in a long pigtail, and then grabbed the bag she had packed yesterday, and began the weeklong walk to Oridon Village, where her target lived.

_A Week Later_

Nairiu arrived at the village just after the sun rose and life in the village and surrounding woods had begun to stir, mainly because she had walked only at night, to hide from any Hylian people who walked during the day. Almost immediately after Ganondorf died, a reward was put on the Gerudo. For every Gerudo killed or captured that was brought to Zelda's Castle, the person who captured or killed them would get a large reward, a sum of about 900 rupees. Because of Zelda's fear of that the Gerudo's anger about their fallen leader would turn towards her and the other Hylian people, the Gerudo race now consisted of only a few surviving Gerudos, who were in hiding.

Nairiu walked through the woods with her trusty Scimitars in their sheath. Now, all she had to do was find Saria, who could tell her whom the Hero of Time was closest to. She slipped through the woods silently, as if she was the Forest Sage herself. She wove her way through the forest until she reached the Forest Temple, the home of Saria. She approached the temple with caution, hiding in the shadows of the large oak trees that hid the temple from the rest of the forest. She peeked out from behind the tree and looked around for Saria.

All she saw was the rune-covered, large marble entrance looming in front of her. Seeing the coast was clear, she walked out into the open. "She must be inside….." She said aloud.

"Who's inside?" She heard a voice behind her. She spun quickly, her scimitars drawn and hungry for blood.

"Damnit! You where _this _close to getting your head chopped off! Don't EVER sneak up on people, ya hear?" She said to the child before her.

The kid giggled and tossed her bright green hair. "Tehehe… it looks like _you _were sneaking up on me." She began airily dancing around Nairiu.

Nairiu followed the dancing child with her eyes, scimitars still in hand. "You must be Saria then. Stop your damn dancing, you look like a fool!" Nairiu said. She had expected Saria to be… well, _older, _less kiddish in appearance, seeing as the sage was probably old as Hyrule itself.

Saria stopped dancing and leaned toward Nairiu. "Hehe… that's quite a mouth on you. Did you perhaps get it from your _father_?" Saria grinned as her comment struck a nerve in Nairiu. "A wise, strong man he was. But alas, he was not strong enough for our fair Link, was he?" Saria laughed haughtily, and then ducked as Nairiu's scimitars sliced through the air where her head had been. "Aww….. You wouldn't want to hurt me, now would you? You would never get the information that you need." Saria winked at Nairiu. "I know exactly what you want, Nairiu."

"How the hell do you know my name?" Nairiu said, suddenly suspicious of Saria's motives. "And how do you know what I want, you've never met me before!"

Saria laughed, and spoke in a tone that suggested she was talking to a child. "Silly, the minute someone crosses the bridge into my forest, I know everything about them. What they want, who they are, where they come from, etc."

"Then you know I want to find the one Link loves." Nairiu said, the golden eyes she inherited from her father glinted evilly in the morning light.

"Of course I know that, haven't you heard a single word I've said? You want to find Link's love, and then you plan on killing whoever that is." She laid her hand on Nairiu's, and then spoke again. "You're sought with guilt, and anger. You want revenge, which I know you will get, but not in the way you think."

Nairiu wretched herself away from Saria's grasp, and spoke, anger in her voice. "I want you to answer my question! I don't need to know any of your mystic mumblings!"

"Fine then…. Ask your question, although I already know what it is." Saria grinned.

"Who is Link closest to? And where can I find this person?"

"Link has no mother. Link has no father. Link has no wife, nor kids. His childhood friend has married and is now living with her husband, the Zoran Prince Ralis. In a way, Link has no one. No one to love, no one to care for, no one to cry if they were mysteriously murdered." Saria winked as she said 'mysteriously', as if she knew exactly what Nairiu had planned for Link's loved one. "Except for one person that is. The person whom he talked with as a child, the person whom gave him his treasured Ocarina.

"You? You are the last one who Link loves?" Nairiu cried out shocked, her scimitars hanging loosely by her sides.

"Love is such a strong word….. I prefer 'cared for greatly'. Anyhow, this is the part where you attack me and kill me, isn't it?"

"Why, yes it is." Grinning evilly, Nairiu lunged at Saria, who dodged and ran off through the woods, laughing as she ran. Nairiu grinned and followed, she enjoyed it when her prey didn't give up easily. She followed behind Saria, who wove her way through the trees. Saria glanced behind her every now and then, making sure that Nairiu was following her.

"Just a little ways longer, my dear friend!" Saria cried out behind her. _"Just a little ways longer indeed….."_ She said to herself, grinning maliciously. She ran into a clearing, and leapt over the middle and landed on the other side, where she turned and grinned at Nairiu, who was just entering the clearing.

"Stand still you little green-haired freak of nature!" Nairiu shouted as she approached Saria, walking through the center of the clearing.

**Crack!** The ground beneath Nairiu disappeared, sending her crashing into the pit that was covered by leaves and branches. She heard a loud snap as she landed, and a bolt of pain shot up her right leg.

"Hehehe…. Your so predictable, Nairiu." Saria said, looking down at Nairiu who was trapped in the pit.

Nairiu looked up at Saria, the blackness clouding her vision. Saria laughed one more time, as the blackness closed in, and Nairiu fell into the dark abyss of sleep.

_In Oridon_

"She was trying to kill me! It was in self-defense!" Saria cried out, to the green clad man sitting on the hand-made wooden chair.

"So you lead her into a trap, knowing she would fall in the pit and be caught." The man shook his head, his golden hair, mixed with premature grey, falling into his eyes. He brushed it back behind his long pointed ears and stood up, his crystal blue eyes dull with fatigue. "Well then, we have to get her." He glanced at Saria, "Unless you'd like her to get eaten by wolves."

Saria looked at the floor, where she had stood the last hour or so, being yelled at by Link. She followed Link like a shamed child out the door. "You do whatever you want with her, I'm going back to my Temple!" Pouting, Saria dissipated into a mist and reappeared back at her Temple.

Link walked the path into the forest, and to the pit that he had dug a week or so ago. He saw the crumpled form of Nairiu at the bottom, and silently gave thanks that he had never gotten around to placing the spikes at the bottom of the pit. He dragged a ladder out from behind some bushes and slipped it down the hole. He slung her limp form over his should and climbed back out again, put up the ladder, and carried her back to his home.

Nairiu opened her eyes, wishing she could close them again and go back to memory she was reliving. Her first bulls-eye. Her father had set up a target, and for days, she was not able to hit it with her simple slingshot. When she did, he actually congratulated her. However, an immense pain brought her back.

She saw the deepest blue eyes staring at her, framed by short, shaggy, golden hair. She was so preoccupied looking at him, that she did not notice he was speaking.

"…...set your leg, and it's going to hurt. A lot." Nairiu attempted to respond, but was cut off by a fiery pain that ripped up her leg. She blacked out again.

He had placed her on his kitchen table, and had set her leg. Being the hero he was, he had to know some medical skills. As he watched, she slipped back into a faint. He worked quickly, bracing her broken leg with two ling but thin pieces of wood, then wrapped it in strips of fabric, ensuring that she wouldn't be able to move it.

He picked her up, and carried her into his only quest room. He couldn't remember the last time he had a woman in his house. Let alone, in his _arms. _He shook his head, this girl had tried to kill Saria, he wouldn't allow himself to think about her like that. He placed her in the bed, her long bright red hair framing her gentle yet deadly face. It wasn't her face, her hair, or her body that captivated him. No, it was her eyes. Her large golden eyes. He had seen eyes like that before, but he couldn't remember where. He ran his eyes over her once more, eyeing the Gerudo clothes she was wearing, when she herself looked nothing like a Gerudo.

He quickly left the room before his needs overcame him, and closed the door. He would wait until she was awake before he asked her questions. He walked back into his kitchen and picked up one of her scimitars. Fingering it, he wondered. "Who is she?…." He said aloud.

"Nairiu!" A high-pitched voice cried out from behind him. He spun around to find the floating blue ball of light called Navi.

"You're supposed to be training that new kid, Ryan something. Why are you ditching your duties _again?_"

Navi pouted. "That Ryan boy is a stickler to the rules… he's so boring. I have a feeling he wouldn't go out of his way to help Ilia get her memory back like _you _did." Navi fluttered around Link's head, disturbing his golden hair with the wind from her wings. "You should come back, Link. We had so much fun together. Saving Zelda multiple times, saving Prince Ralis and his little sister, Princess Ruto. Defeating Ganondorf, meeting the skull kid, getting Ilia's memory back, stealing Epona from Ingo, meeting Midna, and defeating Zant!"

Link shook his head. "I told you before. I'm done with being the Hero of Time. Yes, we had some good times, but that's in the past. You'll just have to live with it."

"You spoil everything!" Navi began pouting again **(an action she does whenever it suits her)**. "I think I just won't tell you anything about that girl in your back room."

Link turned and plucked Navi out of the air, holding her by her wings. "What do you know about her? Tell me, or I'll rip off your wings and make you eat them."

"That threat stopped scaring me years ago. But I'll tell you anyway, just 'cuz I like you." Link let go of Navi, and she fluttered over to a pile of junk mail on his kitchen counter. "There should be a wanted poster in here somewhere…." Navi pulled it out. "Ah. Here it is!" She handed it to Link.

Link unrolled the small poster and laid it down on the table.

**Wanted:**

**Dead or Alive**

**Nairiu, Daughter of Ganondorf, Leader of the Rebellion. **

**(picture)**

**Red hair, golden eyes, favorite weapon: Scimitar, 5"6, weighs approximately 112 lbs. **

**Reward: 10,000 rupees. **

"Oh my Din…." Link said as he read the poster. "She's Ganondorf's daughter?"

"That's it? Just, 'she's Ganondorf's daughter?' She's worth 10,000 rupees! She's hurt, so I figure you could just knock her out, and then go claim the reward."

"Wait… how the hell do you know she's hurt?" Link turned to Navi. "And how did you get inside anyway?"

Navi responded carefully, hoping not to draw Link's anger. "I…uh… Went in through the window in the quest room…" Navi shifted her eyes away from Link. "You left it open again."

"I was just in there, I know I didn't leave it open!" Link shook his head angrily. "I can't believe you picked the lock _again!"_

"Well I can't believe your not going to turn her in for the reward! You're harboring a wanted criminal! If I have to, I'll bring her to the Castle myself and claim the reward!"

"Get out of my house. Now. And don't you ever come back here when your supposed to be training Ryan."

"You, Link, are really an ass sometimes, you know that?" Navi floated out of the room and outside.

"And you're the greediest fairy I've ever seen…" Link muttered to himself. He rolled up the poster and set it on the counter when he heard the scream.

"DAMMIT!" A loud thump followed.

Link rushed to the guest room, only to find Nairiu tangled up in sheets on the floor, clenching her hands together, as if she was trying to keep from crying out again.

Nairiu had woken up, alone and in a strange room, to find her leg wrapped up tightly, and throbbing like mad. She stood up, careful not to put to much pressure on her broken leg, only to get tumbled up in the sheets and fall to the floor, twisting her leg under her in an extremely painful position.

"Well, you going to stand there or help me up!" She said through clenched lips. The man rushed to help her, hesitating as he grabbed her arm and waist, helping her back into sitting position on the bed. He held onto her a moment to long, and she shot him a look that could kill.

Link backed up, until he leaning on the wall. This girl, she scared him. He faced Gorans, battled Zant, even had Midna yell his ear off, but he had never been afraid. Yet, this twenty or so girl scared him. He had the feeling that even in her injured state, that if she wanted to kill him, she could. She had the eyes of an Ice Wolf. Cold, calculating, evil and dangerous. **(Sorta like Midna when the store was out of her favorite candy .)** He stepped forward, to show that she didn't intimate him.

"I help you, and this is the thanks I get?" Link frowned. Sure, he didn't expect a medal or something, but a simple thank you would suffice.

"You're the who wrapped my leg in those binding wraps!" She scowled, her pain making her irritable and easily angered.

"If you mean by binding wraps, you mean I set your leg, then yes, I did" He scowled right back at her, tauntingly.

"Who are you? And why the hell am I here!" Nairiu shouted, her voice remained strong, but inside she was growing nervous. The last thing she had remembered was this man looking down at her, then her waking up in this bed. "You kidnapped me! How dare you!" She reached to a hidden sheath that that attached to her thigh, only to find the dagger missing.

"I've relieved you of your weapons, your scimitars, your dagger, and the poisoned needles you hid in your hair band." Link approached the bed. "Now, tell me, why would an innocent girl have so many weapons on her?"

"You never answered my questions!" Her golden eyes seemed to glow with anger. "Answer mine, and perhaps I'll answer yours."

"I'm Link, the person who's friend you tried to kill." Nairiu's mouth dropped open. She had never _seen _a picture or portrait of Link, but the stories and songs written about him had depicted him as a much younger looking hero. "And your in my home, specifically, my guest room. Saria lured you into a pit I had dug, to catch the runaway goats. You broke your leg, I fixed it and put you in here."

"Your…so….," He expected her to say, handsome, heroic, kind, nice, but instead, she finished her sentence with the one word he hated most. "old!"

"….." She just called him old! He was _not _old. He was only thirty-five, for Din's sake! The consent years of adventuring had put him through much stress, which had caused his hair to begin to turn a premature grey. "I am NOT old!"

"I beg to differ." She tucked a piece of her long red hair behind her ear, and sighed. "I suppose that since you answered my questions, I have to answer yours." She scowled. "But first, I want my weapons back, now!"

"Why did you try to kill Saria?" He asked, not planning to give back her weapons at all.

"You're a dumb one, aren't you?" She sighed again. "Revenge of course, you moron. To kill the one whom you care about, just as you killed the one I cared about, would be the perfect revenge."

"I retired months ago, I have not harmed a person since then. And I'm not a moron, you are, for falling into that trap."

"Touché, but don't forget it was that pathetic excuse for a sage that lured me into that trap." She reminded him, mostly to get off the subject.

"Who did I kill, that you apparently cared _so _much about?" Link questioned. He was truly curious, did he kill her lover? Her husband? Brother? Sister? And why would he?

"My father, you fool!" She acted angry, yet he could see that mentioning her father had almost brought tears to her large golden eyes.

"I have never killed Ganondorf! Not then, and not now!" Link cried out in defense. "I never hit any vital organs, ever."

"Well, you didn't need to! He died anyway, from an infection that came from _your _sword!" She spat back at him.

He grimaced. He knew infections were deadly. Rusl had died from one, a simple splinter had gotten infected. It took him months to die, the entire time he was hanging on by a thread, not in life, but not yet dead. It was painful for him to watch the man who had cared for him since he had come to Oridon die a slow painful death.

"What, got nothing to say? Feeling guilty?" She snarled. "Well good! If it was my decision, you'd be rotting in the deepest depths of hell right now!"

"I need to go out…" He mumbled something about being back in an hour or two, and backed out the door. Her hostility…. It reminded him of himself years ago. Young, handsome, yet he had the temper of an angry Bulbo who was wearing a collar made of nails. The world of Hyrule saw him as a hero, yet one person knew him as a monster. Qynth. The girl who loved Ganondorf. He had despised her, hated her, was jealous of her. She was able to act like herself, be herself, unlike him. Over time and vigorous training, his temper had been brought under control.

He shook his head, grabbed his bow from its hook on the back of the front door, and shimmied down the ladder and out into the forest. He never hunted to kill, his arrows were blunted at the end to insure that the arrows wouldn't kill the animal they hit. He tried to remember if he had locked the room _she _was in….

She watched as he had walked out the door and he heard the front door slam shut. She counted to thirty to ensure that he had gotten far enough away. Two hours…. He would be gone for two hours at the most. That should be enough time to get out of Oridon, and on her way back to the hide-away. There, the old woman could hopefully use some sort of potion or something on her leg.

She tried to ease herself from the bed, only to have a bolt of pain shoot up her leg. "Oh Din… have you deserted me?" She sighed as she realized her leg couldn't hold much weight. If she had some sort of crutch… maybe she could get to the door. But what could she use?

She looked around the room, noticing that it was more of a junk/storage room than a guest room. The only thing that defined it as a bedroom was the bed she was laying on, the rest of the space was packed full of boxes, slingshot ammo, a broom, some clothes hangers, and….. Wait… was that a broom? She looked at it again, and judged that it was roughly a few inches shorter than her. It would have do though, she just had to get out of here. Only problem was the broom was on the other side of the room, and she couldn't place any weight on her broken leg. She looked around again, and noticed the box of clothes hangers was within her reach. She worked quickly, grabbing them and hooking them together, in order to make a long stick thing that she could use to grab the broom. She finished, and stuck it out, missing several time before the hook grabbed the broom handle and pulled it toward her. She grabbed it, and held it in her hands, before decided to put it under her arm like a crutch, the handle on the floor. She hobbled out the door, and navigated her way to the kitchen, where she spied her weapons on the table. Leaning up against the wall, she slipped her dagger in it sheath, and tied her hair back up, careful not to touch the poisoned needles. Her scimitars, however, were a different problem. She only had one hand free. She grabbed one, and tied it to the decretive strings of beads on her pants waist. The other one she picked up in her hand. She began to make her way to the front door, unaware of what was happening outside.

He had just been passing the guy with the crazy hair that had birds in it, when he realized he had left his quiver hanging up in the hallway. He sighed and began the long walk back to his home.

She walked to the door, and opened it, the sunshine falling on her face. "Damnit!" She looked down only to see that Link lived in a tree. "What kind of freak lives in a fucking _tree house!_" She cried out loud, unaware that Link was on his way back.

He heard her before he saw her, he recognized that 'Damnit' from earlier. But what he wanted to know was how the hell she had gotten outside. He picked up his pace, and as he neared the clearing where his home stood, he heard her cry out again. "What kind of freak lives in a fucking tree house?" He frowned, he had lived in that house since he was a boy, and many of his fondest memories were made there.

She dropped the broom to the ground below, her other scimitar following it. She began to climb down the ladder, keeping her broken leg from touching the steps. It felt like an eternity climbing down, but before she reached the bottom, she heard the rustling sound of a skullita on the ladder rung below her. She was close enough to the ground to jump, but she would most likely land on her broken leg and the pain would cause her to black out again, leaving her at the mercy of Link, should he find her before she woke up again. Worst of all, she could fill her hands slipping on the rungs of the ladder. Either she jumped, or fell. Either way she would hit the ground quickly.

Link had rushed into the clearing, to find Nairiu hanging to the ladder in an awkward position, her broken leg hanging in space, with only her hands holding her up. A broom and one of her scimitars laid on the ground, preventing her from jumping down, that and the pain of breaking her leg again kept her hanging on. He spotted a Skullita hanging on the rung beneath her, spinning its web again. For some strange reason, that Skullita came back and tried to build its web there every time he left. He always had to use his boomerang to swept it off and back into the forest, where it belonged. But this time, he had left his boomerang inside, forgetting to take with him. He sighed, regretting his misfortune. Why did he always get the crazy ones? He thought as he laid his bow aside. Now he just had to get her down, without harming her any more than she already was.

She heard the rustle of bushes, and turned her head, just as Link walked into the clearing, a frown upon his face. She gulped when she noticed the bow on the ground next to him. Was he going to shoot her? No, she noticed the quiver was not on him. She was safe for now. She felt herself slipping again. "Perhaps I spoke to soon…" She thought to herself.

"Where do you think your going?" He said, trying to figure out how he would get her down.

"You're a little slow, aren't you?" She turned her head toward him, and he could see that she had somehow gotten her weapons back. "Let me say it slower for you then, I'm….escaping… do… you… understand…me?" She said slowly, like she was talking to someone brain-challenged.

"Your not doing a very good job of it," He said, shrugging of the insult, "And what do you plan to do know, considering that your stuck?"

"I…uh…planned this!" She lied. "I planned on jumping down." She said more confidently, hoping he wouldn't remember earlier, when she had just tripped and cried out in pain.

"I see…." He replied, not believing one word that she was saying. "Well, go ahead, jump, I won't stop you."

He called her bluff. She had to jump now. It would hurt like hell, but she would be home free. Free to go back to her home, were should would have to stay a rule the Gerudos. Never would she see this strange, yet handsome man again. "1.…2.….," She counted to herself, as she prepared herself for the pain that was about to come. "3..." And she let go.

**(okay, this is my first slow motion scene, don't hate it 2 much! .)**

He saw that she was going to jump, when he had only wished to call her bluff, he instead had actually made her jump. He lunged forward.

It felt like she was falling in slow-motion, even though she was only about ten feet from the ground. As she was falling, she saw out of the corner of her eye, Link rushing forward.

He wasn't going to catch her. He could tell that instantly. He was to far away, and she was falling to fast. But still, he tried. He slid, dust floating up as he slid through the dusty grass.

She landed.

He missed.

She landed, not into Link's open arms, **(which would have been romantic, but alas, I didn't feel like writing a fight scene of when she would have punched him in the eye. Ow!)** but on the ground, her leg bent under her, not broken, but twisted in a such a way she could feel the beginnings of tears on the edge of her eyes. She had never felt that much pain in her life, ever. Not even when she had mouthed off to Ganondorf, bragging that she was better than him. Instead of yelling at her, he had challenged her to duel. Of course, he had won, and right before he did, he had thrown her across the arena. The impact of her hitting the wall had broken three of her rips, and the pain was enormous, but could not compare to the pain she was feeling now.

She squeezed her eyes together, a few stray tears running down her cheeks. Gritting her teeth, she attempted to stand up. She grabbed a ladder rug, and pulled herself up, into a standing position. She leaned against the ladder, trying to relieve some of the pressure on her leg. Doing that caused another bolt of pain to shoot up her leg. Her breath came out in shaky breaths, her face was pale. Shakily, she bent down and grabbed the handle of her scimitar, using it to steady herself even more.

Link had saw her fall, and was amazed that she could even get back up. He himself wouldn't have been able to get up that fast, let alone not cry out in pain. He could tell she was in immense pain, her face was pale, her breath was coming out in shaky breaths, and he could see a tear running down her cheek. He stood up, and dusted himself off to the best of his ability.

He was walking over to her, and when he got to her, he used his thumb to brush off the stray tear that had made its way down her cheek. "That was dumb…." He whispered to her. She felt the darkness claiming her, and tried to fight it, anything to get away from this man. But it was a losing fight, and she closed her eyes, and the darkness claimed her.

"That was dumb…." He whispered to her, as she fell back into a faint. He guessed she didn't see the platform that he had made, it lowered to the ground and back up, he had used it for transporting wood, his weapons, etc. if she had… she wouldn't have been in this mess. He picked her up in his arms again, her blade falling from her hand and landing by the broom on the ground. He laid her on the platform at the side of his house, then walked back tog et the broom and her sword. He could already tell this was going to be a long day….

_The Next Day_

Nairiu opened her eyes the next day, to find herself in the bed…again. She wouldn't give up on escaping, no; she would instead bid her time, and escape when she felt she could get far enough away. Until then, she would have to suffer with Link. He was mean, cruel, strong, had an amazing smile, the biggest blue eyes ever…. She shook her head, Link was the enemy, no matter how strong his shoulders were, or how soft and wavy his hair looked…. She wouldn't let herself feel that way, especially toward Link.

She sat up in the bed, wincing as her broken leg started to throb. As she did, she heard a sharp knock on the door. She laid back down, and closed her eyes, she didn't want to have to deal with Link right then.

He opened the door, looking at Nairiu, who was pretending to be asleep. He knew she was a awake, just avoiding him. He was carrying a cup of red potion in his hand, and set it on a small end table next to the bed. He leaned close to her face, and whispered.

"There's something on the end table, it'll reduce the pain." He stood up, and left.

She heard him come in, then, she heard him lean close to her and whisper, "There's something on the end table, it'll reduce the pain." Then he left. She opened her eyes. His lips… were so close to hers. And his breath smelled like…. like mint leaves. If he kissed her, would he taste like mint leaves to?

Oh Din… what was she thinking? Kissing Link? He's her enemy. She looked over at the end table, and saw the small tea cup filled with a red liquid. She sat up and picked it up. Was it poison? She dipped a finger in it and licked it. No, it was red potion. She tentatively took a sip. It was bitter. She made a face and quickly swallowed the drink, then set the cup back down.

So that was what red potion tasted like. Like bitter water. Supposedly, red potion was used to heal minor wounds. To much of it could be fatal, and it was commonly used to heal broken bones faster than they would heal naturally. She had learned all of that when she spent the day at the infirmary in Gerudo Desert. She was free to roam as she wished, and often helped out wherever needed. But not even when she had broken her ribs was she allowed to drink it. Gerudos were strong, proud people. The healed their wounds naturally, not using red potion unless it was a dire injury.

Of course, that's when Link walked in with a tray of food. **(he always comes in at the right times ****J**** and with food *drools* I'm so hungry!) **Nairiu realized that she had not eaten for two days. She was famished. He set the tray on her lap, and sat down in an old chair across the room. She eyed him suspiciously, when he started to speak.

"You're lucky, Saria could have easily given you to the Hylian Guards, but instead she gave you to me." He looked at her.

"No one _gave _me to you!" she fumed. "I am not an object! And I could easily escape from their dungeon. Its just a large underwater maze thing. A child could find their way through it."

He needed answers, as to why she was wanted, but she wouldn't easily tell him. He tried a different approach. "If you can get out that easy, then what's stopping me from telling the Guards that you're here, hmm?"

She glared at him, fire in her eyes. "You wouldn't dare!"

"I can, and I would. But, maybe we can make a deal…."

She scowled. "I'm not sleeping with you, you scum!"

Her comment shocked him. "I don't want your body! I want answers!" he said shocked.

"What kind of answers?" She asked, interested. "Where we are hiding? Who's our leader? Information you can use against us?"

He never thought about those questions… he retired months ago, and didn't need to know any of that. "Why are you on a wanted poster?"

She laughed. "That's it? You just want to know why I'm wanted?" She laughed again. "I'm their leader, so naturally they think I'm more important than capturing the others. But honestly, I don't even know what we're going to do." She thought about it for a minute. "But it could be because I've sneaked into the Castle a couple of times and riffled them all up. I'd steal a couple of Rupees, sneak into Zelda's room, steal a couple of things, and sneak out again." She grinned. "Its tons of fun, you should try it sometime." She winked, and when she did, she accidentally moved her leg. She grimaced at the pain.

"…." He sat silent. He had been called to the Castle dozens of times because of a mysterious 'ghost like person with flaming hair' had been creeping around in and outside the castle. "Your the Red Haired Demon?" He asked.

"Cool, I have a neat nickname!" She grinned.

Link saw the girl inside of Nairiu, the child who wants to play and joke around. But on the outside, she was a cold blooded killing machine. "I should leave you alone so you can eat." He stood up and opened the door.

She looked down at the tray of food, then back up at Link. "Thank you." She said, not attempting sarcastically, snarky, or snooty in any way.

Link just nodded and left. Her attitude was puzzling him. Yesterday, she was just escaping, calling him names and insulting him. But now…. Cooperating? Manners? Saying 'thank you'? Was she faking it? Or was she actually grateful? He walked to his kitchen to fix himself something to eat. "Women…" He muttered, "I'll never understand them…"

She watched as he left. He acted confused when he left, and she knew her plan was working. The way to get home was not by fighting or brute strength, but by acting like a woman. Manners, niceness (gag me), acting flirtatious, she'd would even kiss him to get away from here. Anything, to go back home.

She picked up the fork that came on the tray, and began eating, starting with the Cuccoo egg omelet, and ending with a glass of Lon Lon Ranch Milk. **(I ran out of food ideas, so I put down what I had for breakfast a few days ago, with some changes, of course! .) **It was a new day, and she would need her strength if she wanted to get out of here before the next moon. "Life is so unfair…." she said aloud.

**(okay! This is the end of chap. 1! Glad you read this far! And sorry it was so long, but alas, I didn't want to start a new chapter just yet, 'cuz I'm lazy ;O)**

**(btw, thnx to LorF! (legend of rune factory) I wouldn't have been able to write my broken leg scenes without the info you sent me!)**


	2. Ryan the Super Spy!

**(well, this is chap.2! I hope you enjoy! Btw, I'm also working on some one-shots, so I may not be updating this 1 a lot. This chap. Is about Ryan, and a VERY important decision and discovery. No, he's not gay, I'm telling you this now cuz I now I'll get some one asking me that D: becuz of that, this chapter is SHORT SHORT SHORT! Just like me! ****J)**

"To the right, to the right! Slow down, slow down! Eeeek! I'm gonna die!" Navi hid inside of Ryan's hat, as he rode across the plains of Hyrule on Ebony, his horse.

"Navi, I'm practicing outrunning the Bulbos, I can't 'slow down'." Ryan responded, spurring Ebony to make her go faster. She whinnied, like she was saying she couldn't go any faster. "That and we must go find some Poe Souls so we can turn that gold dude normal again."

"Your so boring! Let's go swimming! Or get blast out of a cannon! Or shoot the Skullkid with your bow!" Navi said, hyperactively.

"Navi, I don't have time for childish games like that anymore! I'm the new Hero of Time! I have things I need to do." Ryan slowed down as he neared the entrance to the Hyrule Castle Marketplace. "That and I'm out of arrows so I need to pick some up."

Pouting, Navi followed Ryan into the Marketplace and up to the door of Mali Mart. He opened it and walked in, running into the former Hero of Time. "Link!" Ryan cried, picking up Link's two bags of food. "Sorry 'bout that, I had _someone,"_ he shot a look at Navi, "yapping in my ear."

Navi perked up when she saw Link. "Link! How is that-" Link shot Navi a look. "uh….Epona doing?"

"She's fine, her leg is healing nicely." Link said, mentally reminding himself to buy some more Red Potion.

"Epona hurt her leg? What a shame." Ryan shook his head. ""Maybe you shouldn't ride her any more, Link."

"Uh yeah, sure." Link started to walk away toward the Potion shop, with Ryan following him. He started to put Red Potions in a bag, filling it half way up.

"That's a lot of Red Potion and food there, Link." Ryan said, doing the math of how much Potion the average horse needed to heal up. "You bought a lot more than needed." Ryan looked at Link suspiciously. "Or do you have some other hurt house quest, hmm?" He said, noting the amount of food in the bags.

"No, I do not." Link said curtly. Growing tired of Ryan's questions, Link spoke again. "Excuse me, I need to go." Link paid and left the Market.

"He's hiding something…." Ryan said. "And I'm going to find out." Ryan lost Navi in a maze of stalls, then rode off on Ebony, heading towards Link's house.

He arrived sometime around dinner time, and hunger was gnawing at his stomach. He hid Ebony in the woods, and crept toward Link's tree house. He climbed up the ladder, and peeked in a window.

He could see Link, sitting at a kitchen table, with two places set. "Two?" He wondered aloud. Link looked at the window, just as Ryan ducked down. Link's attention was drawn away from the window, and Ryan peeked back in.

A red-haired woman had just entered the room, her long bright red hair tied up in a long pigtail. She had bright golden eyes that sparkled in the candlelight from the candle on the table. **(this is NOT a romantic scene, they just don't have electricity.) **She was wearing what looked like they used to be a pair of Gerudo pants, but they had been ripped about to form shorts, exposing her long tanned legs. Ryan looked down at her legs, and saw that one of her legs was clearly broken and was wrapped up in a plaster-type cast. She had a pair of brooms under her arms, acting as a pair of makeshift crutches.

His eyes were drawn upward, and he noticed she wore the traditional Gerudo halter top. She seemed familiar to him, he thought as she sat down in the chair opposite of Link. Ryan pulled out his Hero of Time Monster Guidebook, (cuz even heroes need help some times), and opened it to the chapter that listed those most wanted in Hyrule. There, on the first page, was the girl. Nairiu. He let out a yell, and the two turned towards the window, just as Ryan jumped off and ran off towards his home.

(k, so that's Chapter 2. Sorry it's a little short, I didn't have time to think it out a lot. But Lorf said I needed more Ryan scenes. J so tada, Ryan is now a main character! Love him, love Link, love me! J)


	3. Kiss Kiss fall in love!

**(okay, here's chapter 3! Btw, in part of this, as not to confuse people, Ryan thinks and talks in italics. But that is only for 1 part, sorry its so confusing, I was severely sleep deprived when I wrote this!)**

"What the hell was that?" Link jumped up from his chair and ran towards the window. "What if someone saw you?" Link practically shouted.

"Who cares? I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." Nairiu casually took a bite of her salad. "Besides, I wouldn't go down without a fight." She winked. Her plan was working. Over the days, she had been given back her weapons, and Link had even turned some old brooms into a crutch type thing so she could move around. Her flimsy cast from before was gone, and he had done something with plaster and made a real cast for her. Sure, she had to destroy her favorite pair of pants to make room for the cast, but her plan was working. She was gaining his trust. But it was working to well. She could feel her heart beat faster whenever he neared her. If they accidentally brushed up against each other In the hallway, her skin felt like miniature bolts of lightning rippled up her skin, leaving her feeling light headed and woozy. She was feeling something she had never felt before, something she had been told stories about and had seen, but now it was happening to her. Love. She was in love with the Hero of Time.

"But still…." Link said, leaving his sentence hanging. He sat back down and began eating. The last few days had been fun, yet stressful. Every time someone knocked on his door, he thought that they knew about Nairiu. He was afraid to leave to go shopping, in case someone went inside his home and saw her. On the plus side, she brought something back to his home that hadn't been there in a long time. Warmth. He had carved her a pair of crutches made out of brooms, and he had changed her fabric cast a better plaster one.

But something was slightly off. The way she flinched when they brushed up against each other in the hallway, the way she blushed when he complimented her on her knife work when she helped him with the crutches, and when he was put her foot in the plaster cast, she kept tensing up. Like him touching her caused her to be shocked. Like he electrocuted her.

But that wasn't the only thing that was off. When she smiled at him, he could feel his heart flutter. When she winked in that alluring way, he could feel his pulse quicken. The way her eyes glittered in the candlelight, reminded him of cat eyes. Her red lips beckoned to him, her long tan legs called to him in the night. He wanted to brush his lips against hers, to run his hands through her long red hair. His feelings for her had grown day after day, until they had evolved into what he thought was love. But was she falling for him? Was his love one-sided?

She wasn't hungry anymore. Thinking about love, had ruined her appetite. She grabbed her crutches and stood up. "I'm not that hungry, so I guess I'll head off to bed." She looked as if she was going to say something else, but instead just left the room.

He watched as she left. He wasn't that hungry either anymore, so he just dumped the dishes in the sink and went to also go to bed. He entered his room, and grabbed his pajamas, which consisted of a pair of green plaid cotton pants, and then exited his room and walked into the bathroom at the end of the hallway. He walked inside, and turned on the shower, and started to wash.

She wanted to leave right then. Just pack up and leave, get away from him. But she couldn't. Her leg could take some weight, thanks to all the Red Potion he gave her. But not enough to get away. She would have to stay. Just a few more days. Then she could leave. She heard the bathroom door close, and the shower turn on. She needed some air, and since Link was in the bathroom, she figured she had some time to go outside. He would have disapproved, saying that she could easily be seen. But since it was night, she figured she was safe. She grabbed her dagger and placed it in the sheath on her leg, and left the room. She still couldn't go down the ladder, and didn't know how to work the platform thing, so she just stood at the top of the ladder, breathing in the crisp night air.

_He was on a stake-out. He figured out how much Nairiu was worth, and figured he could take her down easy. A well placed arrow and her life would be over, and he would be 10,000 rupees richer. There! He saw someone coming outside. It was her. She stood in front of the ladder, the moonlight making her seem like a beautiful ghost. Soon, she would be a ghost. He knocked and arrow, then held up his bow. He had one shot….._

She heard the whiz of an arrows slicing through the air, and before she could move, it hit the wood next to her head and became lodged in it.

"_Damnit!" _She heard a cry from the woods, and backed up into the house, tripping over one of the crutches. Down she fell, luckily landing on her hands, scraping them. Her leg hit the floor with a loud thump, and she cried out in pain.

Link had just gotten out of the shower, and had just gotten dressed when he heard Nairiu cry out. He rushed out of the bathroom, and saw her on the ground. "Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. He helped her up, and handed her the crutches back.

'I'm…" She looked back outside, and decided to keep the archer a secret. If she told him, then he would never let her leave, incase she got attacked on her way back. "I'm fine… I just fell and scraped my hands, that's all." She lied.

Link grabbed her hands and turned them over, so he could see the scratches. "It doesn't look bad." He didn't let go of her hands, and she could feel her pulse quicken.

He was looking down at her, seeing as he was taller than her, and she was looking up at him. Her golden eyes were peeking out from behind her long dark lashes, her ruddy lips calling to him. He could feel himself wanting to kiss her.

She was looking up at him, her heart beating loud enough that she thought he could hear it. His hair was still wet, and the drops of water on it shimmered in the moonlight. His deep blue eyes stared into her's, like they were peering into her soul.

He leaned closer to her, until his lips brushed hers. Then he kissed her. And she kissed him back. It seemed like hours that they stood there, but in reality it was only a few seconds.

She pulled away, removing her hands from his. "I…uh…need to go to bed…" Using her crutches, she walked into her room and closed the door.

He watched as she walked away, his lips still tingling from the kiss they had shared. She had kissed him back, then pulled away from him. He looked at her door longingly, wishing she would come back out and kiss him again, but she didn't, and he knew she wouldn't. He walked back to his room and crawled into the bed. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep that night.

After she closed the door to her room, she dropped the crutches and sunk to the floor against the wall, her legs drawn up to her face. She wrapped her arms around herself, and for the first time in years, she cried. She didn't want to love him, emotional bonds were hard to break. And she had a tribe to run. She didn't have time for love, and she wouldn't have time for it in several years. That kiss had made her love final. And the worst part about it was that he loved her back. She needed to leave. And she needed to leave now. She dried her tears, her heart aching with the decision she had just made. She grabbed the crutches and stood up. She walked to the end table, where all her stuff was stored in the drawers. She opened them, and started stuffing it all into a bag she had grabbed from one of the boxes. Her spare set of clothes, her black dress, a spare dagger, her shoes. She pulled out the last object at the bottom of the drawer. A necklace that had belonged to her mother. It was made of old, antique gold, with a beautifully cut emerald attached to it. It had been given to her mother by her father the night before her mother died. Her father had given it to Nairiu the day he found out he was going to die. She set the necklace on the bedspread, and on a scrap piece of paper, she wrote a note and set it by the necklace. She grabbed her pack, and with her scimitars in her pack, she crept out the house. She stood on the moving platform and pulled a switch that she figured would start it. The platform moved down to the ground, and she stepped off. It lifted back up top, and with a sad look on her face, she walked off into the woods.

He woke up the next day, still thinking about the dream he had about Nairiu that night, when he sensed something was wrong. He got out of his bed, and opened his door. His house seemed cold. Lonely somehow. Something was missing. He walked out into the hallway, his bare feet not making a noise on the hard wood floors. He crept across the hall to where Nairiu's room was. He opened the door a crack, and peeked in. It was empty. He felt a knot of panic in his stomach. He opened the door all the way, and walked inside. The drawers in the end table were empty, and all signs of her presence had been removed. He glanced toward the bed and saw the necklace and note. He picked up the note, and opened it. The paper was stained with small circular dots that he suspected had been made by tears.

_Dear Link,_

_I'm sorry. I can't stay here. I just can't. I have a tribe to run, Link, and I can't run it with you in my heart or on my mind. I'm sorry. _

_I love you,_

_Nairiu _

He felt the breath just whoosh out of him, as if he had been punched in the gut. She left. She was gone. The note dropped from his fingertips, but he didn't notice. He just kept repeating those words over again in his head. "_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." _it was like a catchy song in his head, and he kept hearing it over and over again. He picked up the necklace, and held it in his hands. She was gone forever. And she was never coming back. There was nothing he could do.

No! he thought with determination. He was Link, the hero of Time. He didn't have to just left her waltz out of his life, no; he would go after her. If he had to, he would tie her up and bring her back here.

He ran back to his room, and threw on his _tunic _**(I swear to god it's a dress, but my friend would kill me if I wrote dress instead of tunic)**. He dropped the necklace in the pocket, opened a hidden closet behind his bed. Inside was his weapons. His Gale Boomerang, the Biggeron Sword, his double hook shot, his iron boots, the Ball and Chain, his Zoran Tunic, his Fire Tunic, his shield, his bow and quiver, his slingshot, and of course, his Master Sword. **(I'll never know how he was able to carry so many weapons and stuff in his pockets! You'd think it would get heavy after a while! .) **He shoved them in his pockets and ran out the door, grabbing his hat as he left. He leapt down to the ground, not bothering with the ladder. He raced down to the stables where Epona was kept, but instead of taking her,(she was to old to go fast enough) he leapt onto Epania, her daughter. They leapt the gate of the stables and rode through Oridon, the inhabitants of the town looking at him as he raced past, they cheered as he rode into the forest, positive he had come back as the Hero of Time.

He rode past his house, and across the bridge into Hyrule Field. There he stopped, and dismounted. He had been following her tracks. The way her cast rubbed against the dirt had made a clear trail, but then…. they just vanished. The only thing that showed she had been there was her crutches. They laid on the ground, like they had been knocked out of her hands. The only other tracks were those of a horse, and a spot where it looked as if a struggle had happened. He put two and two together, and with sickening realization, he realized what had happened.

She woke up with a pounding headache, and her leg throbbing like mad. The ground beneath her was hard cobblestone, and it smelled like mold and wet soggy hay. She raised a hand to her head, and it came away sticky with blood. Wherever she was, it was dark and damp. She could see, but barely. The only light came from a small window on the wall. Leaning against the wall, she stood up and looked out. She could see the Castle Gardens. She knew it was them because she had snuck through them many times, and could maneuver her way through them blindfolded. She sat down again, resting her back against the wall. Her leg was throbbing like mad, most likely from the fight that had happened earlier.

She had just stepped out into Hyrule Field, when this dark shadow leapt out from behind a tree and started attacking her with a sword. With her scimitars in her pack, she was only able to defend herself with her dagger. It was dark out, but the sun was rising in the distance and she could make out her attacker. He was slightly taller than her, with dark hair and dark flashing eyes. The thing that surprised her most was the outfit he was wearing. A tunic. A _green _tunic. **(you have no idea how much I want to say DRESS! .) **The same type of outfit that used to be worn by the former Hero of Time. But this man wasn't Link.

He swiped at her, and the jumped out of the way, (the best she could, seeing as she's in a heavy cast), she drew her dagger, and waited patiently for him to make his next move. He was an expert swordsman, and it showed in the way he fought. Every blow she parried with her dagger came with strength and speed. With her dagger, she couldn't get close enough to him to hit him without getting her head chopped off.

She parried another blow, and decided to try distracting him. If he wasn't thinking about his sword work, then she could get off a hit or two. "Who are you?" She dodged another blow.

"I'm the Hero of Time, of course." Ryan brought his sword down across the top of Nairiu's head, but seconds before the blade hit her head, she held up her dagger, the vibrations running down to her toes.

"I guess that makes you the mysterious archer then, huh?" She dodged another blow and managed a weak little laugh. "Has any one ever told you that you have bad aim?"

Ryan scowled and leapt forward, catching Nairiu off guard. He swiped his feet under her, causing her to trip backwards. As she fell, she threw her dagger at Ryan, its blade hit its mark, and sunk into his flesh. He snarled, and pulled out a vial filled with a purple juice. Forcing her mouth open, he poured the contents of the vial into her mouth. The bitter liquid forced itself down her throat, and she could feel herself going under.

And then she woke up here. Her pack and her dagger was gone, leaving her defenseless. She touched her head again, and realized her hair was still pulled up. She touched her hair band, and discovered her two poisoned needles were still there. She was not defenseless.

There was blood on the ground, and her dagger was lying on the ground covered in blood. He was following the horse tracks, and the trail of blood across the field. It ended outside of the back entrance to Zelda's Castle, and there sat Ryan next to Ebony, his tunic ripped open, and a bandage wrapped around his waist. In his hand was a bag of rupees. At first Ryan didn't notice Link, he was too intent on counting his newly acquired wealth.

"9,997. 9,998. 9,999. 10,000" Ryan stopped counting. "10,000 rupees!" Ryan looked up to see Link scowling at him. "Oh, hey Link. I should probably split this with you, huh? Seeing as you're the one who made her easier for me to find." Ryan held out a smaller bag of rupees. "Here's your share."

Link knocked the bag of rupees out of Ryan's hand, and the bag split open, spilling rupees everywhere. Ryan dove forward, scrambling to pick them all up. "Geez, if you wanted more, you could have just told me!"

Link picked up Ryan by the collar and threw him against the wall. "How…dare…you!" He said through clenched teeth. It took all his willpower to not throw Ryan through the brick wall. "She did nothing! Yet you turned her in for some rupees!"

Ryan meekly replied, "In my defense, I was doing the right thing! Unlike you, I wasn't going to break the law!"

Link dropped Ryan, and he fell to the ground, looking up with fear sketched onto his face. "Sometimes," He said, "Doing the _right _thing means breaking the law." Link left Ryan there, and stormed into the castle.

They had beaten her, tortured her. Whipped her, but she wouldn't tell them where the rest of the Gerudos were hiding. Until finally, she couldn't take any more, and fell asleep. Now she awoke to a burning pain on her back. "Urhg….." she attempted to shove the thing away, but a calming voice stopped her.

"There, there…. Don't do that, I'm a tryin' ta clean ya up….." Nairiu opened her eyes to see the kind and caring face of an old washerwoman. "You poor thing! How that Princess gets away with such cruel treatment is beyond me…" She shook her head sadly. "Today, ya might be goin' home…" She wet a wash clothe and begin gentle washing off Nairiu's face. "Some strapping young lad came storming into the Princess's viewing room, demanding that you be set free."

Nairiu perked up when she heard that. "A…man?" She said, her split lip hurting.

"Why yes, a young lad came in, wearing all green and demanding the release of you." The washerwoman stood up. "I know yer tired, and hurt in all, but I need ya too change inta this, just in case that man survives." She threw a dress on a chair next to Nairiu.

"In case?" Nairiu asked.

"Why of course! The Princess says he has ta go through some big old dungeon ta get to ya." The washerwoman waved goodbye and left the room.

Nairiu looked around, and say she was not in the dank and musty jail cell from before, but in a beautiful bathroom. She was in a large marble tub, filled with warm water that had turned a light pink color from the blood. She stood up on shaky knees, leaning against the wall for support. Her cast had been taken off, and she could put some weight on her leg, though not much. She walked over to the chair, her wet hair and body leaving little puddles on the marble floor. Next to the chair was a large, fluffy, white towel. She grabbed it, and wrapped it around her bare body, wincing as the towel brushed across the lash marks on her arms. She dried off as gently as possible, then slipped the dress on over her head.

She looked into the mirror, and saw a figure that looked nothing like herself. This girl had large angry welts on her arms, a split lip, and a large black eye. There were big black bruises all over her arms and legs. The dress she was wearing was a clean white silk, with thin spaghetti straps. The dress fell down around her bare feet, swishing as she walked. It was plain, but beautiful. At least, it would be beautiful if it wasn't on her bruised and battered body.

Next to the chair, on a small table, sat a small plate with half a sandwich on it. It looked safe, so she picked it up. She bit into it, and after the first bite she started to feel tired. Soon, she was almost asleep. "It was drugged….." With that last thought, she fell into a sleep. **(okay, I'm sorry she's fainting a lot, and getting drugged a lot, but I don't like having to hurt my characters D: but alas, I have to any way! :D)**

**stay turned for chapter 4, the chapter where Link has to face a super hard dungeon! It will have a water part, mainly 'cuz that's the hardest dungeon in all the Zelda games! . that and the water dungeon always pisses me off, cuz its really hard! And Link needs 2 get mad . **


	4. Confront Zelda

He had expected to be thrown out, or to be swarmed by palace guards, but instead when he entered the viewing room, but instead was greeted calmly by Zelda.

"Link, I was expecting you." Zelda stood up from her gilded throne. "I was told by Ryan that you were keeping the fugitive in your home." She tossed her hair. "You know how I frown upon that."

The master sword was in his hand, and he gripped it tighter. "I want her back." He said.

"Of course you do. You are forgetting that she knows where the last surviving Gerudos are hiding, do you not?" Zelda began walking toward Link. "Although, our methods are not working on her. She's keeping her mouth shut."

Link narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, 'methods'? If you've laid a single hand on her I'll…" He raised his sword, unable to finish his sentence.

"Torture, of course. And do not fear, I have not laid a singly hand on her." Zelda placed a hand on Link's shoulder and smiled seductively. "why do you want her, when you have me?"

Link tore himself out of her grip. "I'll never love you, I love her! And I want her back!"

Zelda's eyes narrowed. "Fine then. You can have her back." Link started to smile, but Zelda raised a slender gloved hand. "But first, you must save her. Become once again the valiant Hero of Time, and save your love." She motioned to her guards, who came up to Link, and placed a strong hand on each shoulder. "You must back your way through the Castle to find her, and at the end, there she will be, waiting for you." She smiled evilly. "But you while not be making your way through my Castle as it normally looks. Instead, you will be making your way through its dungeon." she paused for dramatic affect. "Water. Fire. Air. Earth. And Shadow. You will make your way through each dungeon, facing horrific monsters, mind boggling puzzles, and old foes. Of course, I will allow you to bring along one other person with you in each dungeon. At the beginning of that dungeon, I will allow you to choose your person. Choose wisely, brave hero, for if you choose wrong, you both could die."

**Okay! End of chapter 4! Sorry it is so short, but I'm working on a chapter for each dungeon. So, which dungeon will Link go in first? And whom should he bring? If I don't get any comments telling me what and whom, then I'll have to make it up as I go along! . **


	5. i was painting my nails! TT

"Link, I hate you!" Nabooru slapped him across the face, leaving a red imprint where she hit him. "I was painting my nails, and you interrupted me for _this?"_ She shouted at him as she gestured to the ten or so redeads that were chasing them in through the Shadow Temple.

"We're saving my…uh….." Link thought for a second, not sure what Nairiu was to him. Girlfriend? Patient? "Friend…"

Nabooru smirked. "And does this 'friend' happen to be a woman?" She turned around and killed a few of the redeads who had tried to grab her pony tail.

"And what's it to you if she is?" Link neatly sliced a redead in half with the master sword.

"Just wondering… After all, its usually Zelda who you save, not Ganon's girl." Nabooru spun around, slicing a few heads off the redeads.

"Wait, how do you know that?" Link paused, leaning back up against a wall, out of sight of the two redeads left.

"I'm an outcast Gerudo, so I should know who's taking control of the tribe, Link."

"Then why didn't you just say so?"

"I wanted to find out what's between you two."

"There's nothing between us, she's just….." Link paused mid attack, thinking back to the kiss that they had shared the night before.

"….A friend? Do you honestly expect me to believe that? If this girl was a 'just a friend' then I can guarantee that you wouldn't be so determined to save her." Nabooru executed a spin attack, killing the redeads left. "If you love her, say so. If not, then leave her with Zelda's crew. The guards have most likely beaten her senseless, and have probably done some other things to her. After all, she _is _a girl…" Nabooru's voice trailed off, leaving Link to imagine all the terrible things that could be happing to Nairiu.

Link turned around, stopping his sword less than a centimeter from Nabooru's exposed and vulnerable throat. "Don't say that." He glared at her, an icy fire in his blue eyes. "Don't you think I know what could be happening to her? I haven't eaten in two days out of worry, or even slept. And as much as I would love to kill you for what you just said, I need you to get me through this dungeon. So shut the fuck up and lead the way!"

Nabooru chuckled, then ducked and swiped out her feet, tripping Link. He stumbled back, and Nabooru leapt on top of him, her own scimitar level with his eye. "I knew it. You _love _her…" Nabooru sang the word love, and climbed off Link, reaching out an arm so he could get up.

"She's just a kid. It would be unfair to her if I told her I loved her. She deserves the chance to live her own life. No one should have someone else's love forced on them."

"Oh Link….," Nabooru shook her head sadly, "I can't believe what you just said. 'live her own life'? She was born, raised, and trained to step in and be leader of our tribe since the day she was born. She's never had, or will have, the chance to live her own life. Her life belongs to the tribe, Link."

"So you agree. Even if she belongs to the Gerudo tribe, she deserves to live that life without me ruining it."

"I never said I agreed. And how do you know she doesn't love you back?"

"I…we…kissed the night that she left… she said she was tried, then she wrote a note and ran away to come back to her tribe. She doesn't love me."

"May I see said note?" Link pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, and handed it to Nabooru, who opened it and examined it.

" '_I love you, Nairiu'" _She read aloud. "Sounds to me that she does love you." She tossed it at Link, who scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground, like it was some sacred scroll instead of a goodbye note. "But if your gonna live to hear her say those words to you, then we're gonna have to pick up the pace."

Link grinned, then frowned. "We're at the boss door, anyway. Why do we have to pick up the pace?"

"Because, we have to tackle the water dungeon next, seeing as we've already done the Air Temple, the Temple of Time, and whatever that last one was."

"Death mountain….." Link muttered. "And I….uh….was planning on having a Zoran get me through the water temple, seeing as they can breathe underwater…"

"I'm coming with you. You agreed you'd pay me 500 rupees for helping you, so here I am. I'm not getting cheated out of a single rupee."

"Fine…"

_Watching From the One-Way Ceiling….._

_Zelda slumped against her thrown as she watched Link and Nabooru talking about mindless nonsense, and how he handed her a note. "Why won't he just hurry up and kill the boss already…?" She mumbled. Beside her, tied up, was Nairiu. Her cut lip was bleeding, and she had fresh bruises on her face and back. The brilliant white gown she had been given at the beginning of Link's challenge had became rumpled, and spotted with blood. "Hmm….." Zelda mumbled, as he fit the boss key into the lock and opened the door. "Send in some guards to take away that Nabooru girl, I want him to face this one alone….." She grinned a Cheshire grin._

_Nairiu struggled weakly against her bounds as she heard Zelda's words. She watched silently as the guards came in and hauled Nabooru away, leaving Link to kill the dreaded boss. The fight began, and Link held his ground against the ghost like wraith that he had to kill. She glanced over at Zelda, who frowned as he scored a successful hit against the boss. _

"_Give me the megaphone for a minute, Samuel," She said to the guard holding said megaphone. She grabbed it, and held it up to her mouth. "Link darling, I have something to tell you. Stop fighting for just a moment, please." _

_Link heard her voice, and ran behind one of the decorative pillars in the room. "What?" He shouted, "Can't you see I'm fighting?" _

"_Yes, Link, I can. But I have some really unfortunate news for you." She paused then glanced over at Nairiu, glaring at her haughtily. "It seems your little Gerudo girl couldn't take the torture anymore, or the sad news she received this morning….." She paused. "Apparently, I accidentally told her that you weren't coming for her, and she killed herself, using a set of poisoned needles." Zelda grinned at Nairiu, who was trying to yell at Link through the ceiling, but couldn't because of the thick glass. "You can stop fighting now, Darling."_

_Link froze. "D….Dead?"_

"_Oh yes, dead as a doornail. Now you can be with me."_

"_I…..loved her…." He murmured, he numbly dropped his sword, not believing what he had been told. He felt like a piece of his heart had been torn out. He slowly walked out from behind the pillar, and walked toward the wraith boss, wanting to die so he could be with her, even if they were both dead. _

_Nairiu saw what he was about to do, and tore against her bonds, until she was free. She grabbed a sword from one of the guards, and slammed it into the glass, causing it to crack. Zelda leapt up from her throne, and her and the guards ran off the glass, just as it shattered. _

_At that moment, Link glanced up, and the boss took the chance to attack. It plunged its tentacle like arm into the soft flesh of Link's stomach. The hero collapsed, and his eyes closed, the last thing he saw was Nairiu falling from the ceiling, like a bloody and beaten angel._

_Nairiu rushed forward and dragged Link behind a pillar, favoring her leg. Tears were rushing down her face, and she was sobbing his name. "Link… oh din…. Link!" She held his head to her chest, crying over the fallen hero of time. _


	6. You had a kid?

"_She…. She's alive….?" Link was floating in a warm golden mist, three beautiful women stood before him. _

"**Of course she is, Link dear." **The blue clad woman answered him. **"Zelda was trying to make you give up and love her again…."**

"_But…. I'm dead….. I….wanted to tell her…. I loved her….." _

"_**Yes, Link. We know." **_A woman clad in red answered him. _**"We goddesses know everything." **_

"_**You weren't supposed to die yet, Link." **_A woman clad in green said. _**"You made a split second decision…. You were supposed to save her. And live happily ever after."**_

"**She loved you back, dear." **The blue woman said. "**And right now, she'd give anything to bring you back. See?" **She gestured to a crying Nairiu, cut and bloody from the falling glass, and the fall. She was cradling Link in her arms, crying his name.

"_So send me back." Link said, matter of fact. _

"_**We can't. You died, and we can't send you back without equivalent exchange. What do think your life is worth, Link?" **_the red woman said. _**"What can you give us that's worth your soul?"**_

Link looked back at Nairiu, who was being approached by leering guards. They grabbed her arms, and attempted to pull her away.

"**Link, hurry. I can tell you those guards are thinking terrible, terrible things that they'll do to her if you don't give us something." **

"_What do you want?" He cried out, as he watched one of the guards smack Nairiu. _

"_**Come back, become the Hero of time, Link."**_ She paused. "_**Hyrule needs you, and we need you to fulfill your destiny."**_

"_If I come back as the hero of time , will you bring me back?" He glanced back at her again. "Bring me back, goddamnit!" _

"**It's a deal, Dear." **The woman and the mist vanished, and he was back in his body, standing up, his sword in hand.

"Link!" Nairiu screamed when he stood up. She struggled against the guards, but to no prevail. "Link!" Tears of joy and sadness rolled down her face. The guards glanced up when she screamed, not believing their eyes. The hero of Time strode towards them, master sword in hand, icy blue eyes sparked with anger and fury.

The guards ran off, throwing Nairiu to the floor. Link rushed forward, gathering her in his arms. "Nairiu…" He murmured, as he pushed a strand of red hair away from her face.

"Link," She smiled weakly, "I knew you'd come for me…" Her eyes widened. "But…you were dead….?"

"I'll explain when you get home." he smiled and picked her up in his arms, and started towards the door, where Epania was waiting for him outside.

'I….don't wanna go back to my tribe!" She weakly protested, but he held her still.

"No, I mean home with me." She sighed contentedly, and closed her weary eyes, happy to be safe at last.

_A few hours later_

"I'm fine… Stop babying me!" Nairiu protested as Link tried to spoon some soup into her mouth. "I can feed myself!"

"But your hurt… you need to eat…." Link said, concern in his voice.

"I'm just tired…." She gave a weary yawn. "I just wanna sleep." Link stood up and left the room, going to set the bowl of soup in the sink. He walked back into his room, where Nairiu was lying under the covers in his bed. She had bandages on her face, and had bathed and changed into non-bloody clothes.

He climbed onto the bed, and laid down next to her, afraid to leave her alone unless someone else took her away from him. He laid on his side, watching her sleep. Since he had brought her back, they had barely talked. She avoided looking him in the eye, and spoke softly. He wanted to ask her questions, find out what had happened, but he couldn't. He was afraid of the answers.

He wanted to lean over and gently kiss her, tell her everything was going to be all right, that he loved her. But since she had regained consciousness, she wouldn't let him touch her. For someone who had been crying over his body only hours before, she didn't look or act like she acknowledged him. Almost… like she didn't mean a thing she had said in her note. He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. He leaned back, so he was staring at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, the weariness of the last to days catching up with him, and fell asleep.

_Link's Dream….._

"Link!" Nairiu giggled. "Hurry up, slowpoke!" She was beautiful, dressed in a sunny yellow dress, hands clasped behind her back as she looked down at him. She was standing at the top of Death Mountain, leaning over the edge to see him. He was climbing up the mountain, a picnic basket in his hands. He climbed to the top, and hoisted himself over the edge.

"I picked an amazing place for a picnic, if I do say so myself." He set down the basket and looked out across Hyrule

Nairiu walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, and lowered his mouth onto hers. She kissed him long and deep, and then pulled away, grabbing his hand and placing it on the slight bump on her belly. "He's kicking…." She watched as his face lit up in a grin at the mention of their son. "He's going to be a great hero….just like his father."

_Back in reality….._

Nairiu watched Link as he smiled in his sleep. She wanted him to be able to smile, and to be happy, but she….she had killed him. He deserved someone who wouldn't make him worry or try to kill himself. Someone like Zelda…. After all, they had been an item. At least, that's what Zelda had told her. In fact, they had gotten engaged, and he had gotten her pregnant. Zelda had told her about how happy he had been when she told him she was pregnant.

"…..I love our child….." Link murmured, then rolled over, his back to Nairiu. Nairiu froze, thinking and believing that he was talking about Zelda's child.

She rolled away from him, wincing at the tender wounds on her back rubbed against the fabric. She buried her face in the pillow, and began to quietly sob.

Link opened his eyes to the sound of quiet sobs, coming from Nairiu. "Hey, what's wrong?" He rolled over, and wrapped an arm around her. She flinched away from him, and he felt it. "Are you okay? Nairiu?"

She turned to him, large fat tears running down her face. When Zelda had told her about Link's….child…. Something had broken inside of her. "Why didn't you tell me!" She cried out.

"About….what?" Link said, a puzzled expression on his face.

"About Zelda! About your engagement! About your _child!_" She shouted as Link paled.

All the blood rushed from Link's face. "She….used me, Nairiu. She told me she loved me, how we should get married, so she could have an heir to her throne." A pained expression crossed his face. "and….our child…was a miscarriage."

"But you never told me! Zelda, she came to my cell and told me everything, but she never told me about the miscarriage…"

"I should have told you, but I wanted to bury it in my past." He wrapped Nairiu in his arms. "I wanted to be able to retire, and be able to grow old with someone I loved." Nairiu could feel her heart fluttering as he leaned down and kissed her. "I want that someone to be you, Nairiu." He looked into her golden cat eyes. "I…I want you to marry me, Nairiu….I want to be that person you spend your life with. Please, Nairiu, say yes to me…"

"Link…I…." Nairiu wrapped her arms around Link's neck and kissed him. "Yes! I say yes!"

**Okay, that's chapter 6, srry if it sucked, plz review, I feel so lonely… .**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, my faithful reviewers! It is I, G-L. I am here to formally apologize for my lack of updating. I will be posting this "letter" to every story I am working on, in hopes that everyone who reads my stories will read it and understand that I am a HORRIBLE updater! D: **

**I have had a terrible case of writer's block lately. However, I was angrily yelled at my several friends who were disappointed that I was not updating regularly. After much abuse, I realized that this is true! I am a horrible updater! I'm surprised I even have any fans :P**

**I will be finishing all of my Fanfics, and then I will be taking an extended break to finish my novel(s?) before returning to more fanfiction. Here is the following order of the updating order for my stories:**

**All Legend of Zelda Stories will be finished First**

**Phantom of the Opera will be next **

**. . . I don't think I have any after that... (oops) **

**Thank you for taking your time to read this!**

**I will finish my stories very soon! I promise it!**

**Ganondorf Finds Love (gosh, I hate that title... what was I thinking?!) Will more than likely be finished very soon, after that, it will be Death of Ganondorf (. . .blah... what titles...) and so on and so forth XD**

**Goodbye for now! **

**G-L**


	8. The End

**Hey guys! Sorry about uploading so weirdly. I've been de-internetized for a while now :( But here is the finished (and final!) chapter of this story! It's been great, hasn't it? **

**I will soon be finishing "Ganondorf Finds Love" (the nameeeeee DX) **

**and this will sound weird, but this was actually meant to be a sort of sequal :P Oops? I finished it first XD**

**GFL will have maybe 3 more chapters, so if you feel interested, check it out!**

**Have fun reading,**

**GL**

_Several Months Later_

"Do you, the hero of time, take Nairiu Dragmire's hand in holy matrimony, to love and to cherish, to protect, through sickness and in health, till the goddesses part you?" A priest stood before Nairiu and Link, who's hands were clasped together, lost in each others eyes.

"I do." Link squeezed Nairiu's hands lightly.

"And do you, Nairiu Dragmire, take Link to be your's in holy matrimony, to love and to cherish, to protect, through sickness and in health, until the goddesses part you?"

Nairiu smiled, everything was perfect. The man she loved was standing before her, awaiting the answer that would bind them together for the rest of their lives. Her tribe had moved into the village, welcomed by the people of Oridon. Link had managed to convince them that the Gerudo race just wanted to be left alone in peace, and in the unsteady months that followed, the remaining Gerudos moved into the village and soon began to earn the trust of the Hylian population.

Ryan had begun to work at the Castle as a high ranking guard, due to the fact that Link had promised to back as the Hero of Time. Link had had to go on very few "world saving missions" since her had agreed to become the hero once more, the most urgent quest had been to fetch a doctor for a sick child.

Life, Nairiu was certain of this, was good. And in a few minutes, it would be more than good. It would be perfect.

"I do."


End file.
